In March 2026, Ukraine continued its efforts to return children who had been illegally deported and forcibly displaced, while strengthening international pressure, legal accountability, and global coordination. During the month, 47 children were returned, bringing the total number to 2,083.

Key developments in March 2026:

🔹 Panama joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, bringing the number of its members to 47 and strengthening global coordination.

🔹 The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that the deportation, forced transfer, and enforced disappearance of Ukrainian children by Russia constitute crimes against humanity carried out as part of a state policy at the highest level.

🔹 A report by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab found that Russian state-owned companies, including Gazprom and Rosneft, financed and facilitated the operation of “re-education” camps, where at least 2,158 Ukrainian children were held, contributing to their indoctrination and militarization.

🔹 The United States allocated $25 million to support the identification, return, and rehabilitation of deported Ukrainian children.

🔹 During hearings in the U.S. Congress, it was noted that at least 400,000 Ukrainian children have been integrated into Russian militarized structures, and calls were made to impose sanctions on Russian oil revenues financing these crimes.

🔹 At hearings in the Italian Parliament, the Bring Kids Back UA initiative presented evidence of a systematic Russian policy aimed at destroying children’s identity, including forced citizenship, document replacement, indoctrination, and subsequent involvement in military structures. Russia also proposed exchanging Ukrainian children for prisoners of war, indicating their unlawful treatment as hostages.

🔹 Ukrainian prosecutors announced new war crime charges against individuals responsible for the deportation of 213 children from the Donetsk region. None of these children have been returned.

🔹 Russia sentenced three Ukrainian teenagers, detained while still minors in occupied Melitopol, to long prison terms following torture and unlawful detention.

🔹 According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Russia has completely replaced the Ukrainian education system in occupied territories with a Russian one, introducing military-patriotic education and ideological control over children.

🔹 Canada, Norway, and Ukraine announced a Ministerial Conference in Toronto (September 2026) dedicated to the return of deported children and other civilians.

Ukraine has documented at least 20,570 cases of deportation and forced transfer of children. The real number is likely significantly higher.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children remain under Russian control.

A just and lasting peace is impossible without their return.